Laminated protective sole



Oct. 8, 1957 L. P. FRIEDER ErAL LAMINATED PROTECTIVE soLE Filed Feb. l0, 1955 F? FQ/EDER M S/QJMM A ORNEY INVENTORS Eo/men BY WALTER 5. F/NKEN United States Patent ffice 2,808,663 LAIVIINATED PROTECTIVE SOLE Leonard PQFi-ieder, Great Neck, and Walter S. Finken, Brooklyn, N. Y.; said Finken assignor to said Frieder Application February 10, 1955, Serial No. 487,269 4 Claims. (Cl. 36.-44)

vOur invention relates to a laminated protective sole and more particularly to a laminated protective sole which is compact, flexible, lightweight, and which has a high resistance to penetration by sharp objects.

`Safety shoes are known in the prior art for protecting the foot of the wearer from injury by sharp objects which might penetrate the sole of an ordinary shoe. This prois extremely bulky andawkward. In the prior-art, there- Y fore, safety shoe designers are confronted with the problem of providing a safety shoe which has a high degree ofresistanceto penetrationv by sharp objects andyet is flexible, lightweight, and comfortable.

`We have invented a laminated protective sole for shoes which affords a A,highdegree of protection to the wearers foot. OurV solevis, compact, lightweight, flexible, and waterproof.` It4 permits ashoe includingY the sole to dex with the foot Yofthe wearerand to breathe properly. YAt the Sametime our4 s olehas a high resistance to penetration by sharp objects and ying fragments. Our sole may be used in boots for combat troops as a protection against flying fragments from land mines, or the like. It may also be used in footwear of all types as a protection against sharp lobjects suchraswnails, glass, stone, and thelike.

It may be formed as'lapart Vof the safety shoesole 'itself i or it may be used as a separate inserted laminated protective sole in rubber boots, sneakers, moccasins, and the like.

One object of our invention is to provide a laminated protective sole which is compact and lightweight and which has a high resistance to penetration.

Another object of our invention is to provide a laminated protective sole which has a high resistance to penetration and which exes with the foot of the wearer.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a laminated protective sole which may be inserted in any type of footwear or which may be formed as an integral part of a safety shoe sole.

Yet a further object of our invention is to provide a laminated protective sole which permits the shoe with which the sole is used to breathe properly.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a laminated protective sole which is water resistant.

Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the following description.

In general, our invention contemplates the provision of a laminated protective sole including a stack of syntheticresin-impregnated, fibrous laminates. In one form of our invention adjacent laminates of the sole are separated by a thin film of material which is nonadherent with respect 2,808,663 Patented Oct. 8V 1957 to the laminates. vAdjacent laminates may be bonded to each other by spaced bonds extending through the non- Vadherent film. Loose stitching may be employed to prevent disassembly of the stack when in use. In an alternate embodiment ofY our invention we cure the syntheticltive sole may be a partial sole or a whole sole and it may be formedas a separate laminated protective sole or be made an integral part of the sole of a safety shoe. In the-accompanying drawings which form part of the instant specificationand which are to be read in conjunction therewith and Iin which like reference numerals are used to indicate likeparts inthe various views: v t

Figure 1 Yis a perspective viewk of an embodiment of our laminated protective-sole. t

`Figure 2 is a plan view of the form of our laminated protective sole shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 isa Vsectional View of our laminated protective 'sole taken along the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspectiveview of another form of our laminated protective sole..

v FigureV 5 is a plan view of the form of our laminated protective sole shown inFigure 4.

Y Figure 6],is a sectional View of our laminatedprotective sole taken along the line 6--6 of Figure 5. Referring now to Figures 1 to 3, an alternate embodiment of ourV laminated Vprotective sole includes respective laminates7f), 72and 74.4 Each of these laminates may beY formed of any suitable matted, felted, woven, knitted, or braided fibrous material. Preferably, Weemploy a mat of spun glass fibers, but any other plastic material, such as nylon, or the likemay be used. The laminates are impregnated with a thermoplastic or thermosetting resinous material, such, for example, as polyethylene plastic, allyl plastic, polystyrene plastic, phenol formaldehyde, or urea formaldehyde resins. l PreferablyQwe employ a polyester resin.` Laminates 70, 72, and 74 are held-assembled Ainstacked relationship to each other by any convenient `means as advantageously by a resin bond 76 extending through all the laminates in an area 78 making up a minor portion of the laminated protective sole adjacent itsheel. Inv this form of ouruinvention Vwe do not mploynonadherentlilms to separate adjacent laminates. To make this form of our sole we may Acure a s'heet of resin-impregnated fibrous material and stamp the individual laminates 70, 72, and 74 from the sheet. We calender the sheet of resin-impregnated material during curing to provide smooth surfaces on both sides of the laminates. We assemble a number of the laminates stamped from the sheet in stacked relationship. In order to retain the stacked laminates in the assembled state, we may apply heat and pressure to the area 78 to fuse the impregnating resin of the individual laminates 76, 72, and 74 to form the bond '76. This form of our laminated protective sole readily iiexes in use owing to the smooth surface of adjacent laminates provided by the antecedent calendering process. If desired, we may form this embodiment of our invention by stacking a number of laminates impregnated with uncured resin and separating adjacent laminates by nonadherent films extending over the major portion of the surface between adjacent laminates. When we cure the assembly, the impregnating resin in the area 78 which is not covered by the separating films fuses to form the bond 76. When the curing process is complete, thev embodiment of our 'invention We form a bond 80 extending through a'll laminates over a minor area 82 of the sole adjacent its toe. We make this form of our invention in thesame manner as We employ to make vthe form o'f our invention shownfin Figures lfto 3. i

'While wehave shown'the-'forms ofour inventionillustratedin 'Figures 1 to asincllxding'onlythree laminates 70, '72 and .74, it will readily 'be understood fha'twe may 'include Yany number of laminates. 'These forms of our .invention may 'be used as separate inserts "101' may be formed as a part of a safety shoe sole. ASuccessive laminates ofthe stack of laminates Amaking up our protective sole deflect .differentially inresisting penetration .bya sharp object. rIhis action ispossible since the laminates are separately 'formedrand calenderedfbefore being fused over allim'ited area. 'When a sharp 'object impinges on thelowestlarninate such forexample as the laminate .74 'of the stack, successive laminates from Vthis laminate 74 up throughthe laminate 70 deiiect diiferentially Yto distribute the penetrating force over successively larger-areas. 1nV other Words, when under the action lof sucha ,pene- ,trating force, the laminates from laminate 74 up .through 'laminate '70 have successively larger radii of curvature.

The end result of this differential de'ection action of the laminates results in a distribution of `thepenetrating force over so large an area of laminate 70 'thatno injury to the `foot of the wearer results. The entire force of penetration is dissipated before the sharp object vpasses through the laminates. If desired, we may employstitching at the toe or heel of the sole in place of -thehonds 80 or'76. Besides this, We may secure the laminatesto each other, either by local fusing of the plastic or by'stitching or the like, at `any other convenient small area `as one near the center of the assembly.

In the `forms of our invention shown in Figures ..1 Ato 6, the 4laminated protective sole may be used as aseparate insert or may be formed as part of a safety shoe sole. As has :been explained hereinabove these forms ofourinvention permit the assembled laminates to deect differentially fin resisting Ypenetration by sharp objects. This action v'of the sole is possible since the laminates ,arefformed and calendcred individually to permit relative movement between adjacent laminates. The bond 76 or'80 functions to hold the laminates in assembled relationship. "'Ihese formsof our sole `readily ex with the wearers foot and permit thesafety'sh'oe vto breathe.

It will be seen thatwe have accomplished Vtheohjects of ourinvention. We have provided alaminat'ed protective lsole which has 'a high `resistance to penetration `by sharp objects. lOur laminated protective sole is compact, 5

lightweight, and flexible. It permits the article of footwear with whichit is used to breathe properly. Oursole may be used as an insert with any type of footwear or it maybe made an integral part of a safety shoe. Further, our protective sole is moisture resistant.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within :the scope of our claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in detailswith'in the Lscope `of-our claims without departing from .the spirit Yotour invention. AIt is, therefore, to `he understood that our invention is not to be limited .to the specic details shown and described.

Having thus 4.described Vour invention, what we 4claim is:

l. A laminated vprotective sole including in combination a plurality of stacked "fibrous laminates, said laminates being impregnated with synthetic resin, and means extending over a minor area of said laminates for retaining said laminates in stacked relationship. l2. A laminatedprotective sole as incla'im 1in which lsaid means for retaining .said laminates in stacked relationship `is a 'synthetic resin bond extending through all laminates over a minor area of the inner sole.

Q3. A "laminatedjprotective sole as in c'laim 11 in which said sole includes `a Vtoe and aiheel, saidmeans for retaining saidilamina'tesin stacked relationship being a synthetic resin `bondextending through said laminates over a minor Aarea of 'said sole, said bond "being disposed adjacent .said

4. A laminated protective sole as in claim 1 in which lsaid sole includes a toe `and a heel, said means for retainin'g said laminates in stacked relationship being a synthetic resin bond extendingthrough said laminates over a minor area 'of said sole, said 4bond being disposed adjacent said `heel.

References Cited in the `tile of this patent UNTTED v.STATES PATENTS 113,773 Johnson Apr. 18, 1871 148,770 Stanton Mar. 17, 1874 331,462 Tilton ..`Dec. 1, 1885 189,8,710 Sept. -15, V1908 ,1,257,091 Martos Feb. 19, 1918 1,290,352 Reid Jan. 7, 1919 ,2,199,862 -Strovink 'May 7, 1940 2,244,844 Mar-gel I-une 10, 1941 2,303,826 De Bell Dec. 1, 11942 2,509,494 4.Grruenvvald May 30, 1950 Y FOREIGN `PATENTS '168,725 Great Britain Sept. 15, 1921 '537,688 Great Britain July 2, 1941 

